Details of Axial-Compressor Shrouded Stator Cavity Flows

Author(s):  
Steven R. Wellborn

Data that reveal the structure and character of the flow in and near the cavities of compressor shrouded stators are reviewed. Results were obtained from low-speed multistage compressor measurements and simulations and generic high-speed cavity simulations. The experimental measurements were acquired with slow and fast response instrumentation. The numerical simulations were collected with two different flow solvers. The data are presented to provide compressor designers some indication of the complexities of the flow within shrouded stator cavities and to provide a datum for further studies on more complex geometries and flow conditions. The data suggest surprisingly similar flow structures within most cavities including spatial and temporal flow field variations. In general, the flow in the cavities involved fluid moving in the circumferential direction with lower momentum than powerstream fluid. The difference in momentum is adjusted through a shear layer in the radial direction near the powerstream/cavity interface. Circumferential variations in flow properties also exist, the most prominent being caused by the upstream potential influence of the downstream blade. This influence caused the fluid within the cavities near the leading edges of the airfoils to be driven radially inward relative to fluid near mid-pitch. Some data are presented that suggest powerstream secondary flows dictate which fluid particles are ingested in the downstream cavity across the stator pitch. Vortical flow structures, similar to those set up by a driven cavity, dominate the axial variations in flow. The position and structure of these vortical structures are dependent upon the powerstream flow field and the cavity geometry. Examining some interdependencies between cavity flow parameters concludes discussions of cavity flow field characteristics. A known relation between cavity leakage amount and tangential velocity is reiterated. Cavity rotational speed and stator exit swirl are also shown to influence the cavity tangential velocity. Increasing rotational speed tends to increase the tangential velocity through the cavity. Increasing the stator exit swirl reduces the tangential velocity increase.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryosuke Seki ◽  
Satoshi Yamashita ◽  
Ryosuke Mito

Abstract The aerodynamic effects of a probe for stage performance evaluation in a high-speed axial compressor are investigated. Regarding the probe measurement accuracy and its aerodynamic effects, the upstream/downstream effects on the probe and probe insertion effects are studied by using an unsteady computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis and by verifying in two types of multistage high-speed axial compressor measurements. The probe traverse measurements were conducted at the stator inlet and outlet in each case to evaluate blade row performance quantitatively and its flow field. In the past study, the simple approximation method was carried out which considered only the interference of the probe effect based on the reduction of the mass flow by the probe blockage for the compressor performance, but it did not agree well with the measured results. In order to correctly and quantitatively grasp the mechanism of the flow field when the probe is inserted, the unsteady calculation including the probe geometry was carried out in the present study. Unsteady calculation was performed with a probe inserted completely between the rotor and stator of a 4-stage axial compressor. Since the probe blockage and potential flow field, which mean the pressure change region induced by the probe, change the operating point of the upstream rotor and increase the work of the rotor. Compared the measurement result with probe to a kiel probe setting in the stator leading edge, the total pressure was increased about 2,000Pa at the probe tip. In addition, the developed wake by the probe interferes with the downstream stator row and locally changes the static pressure at the stator exit. To evaluate the probe insertion effect, unsteady calculations with probe at three different immersion heights at the stator downstream in an 8-stage axial compressor are performed. The static pressure value of the probe tip was increased about 3,000Pa in the hub region compared to tip region, this increase corresponds to the measurement trend. On the other hand, the measured wall static pressure showed that there is no drastic change in the radial direction. In addition, when the probe is inserted from the tip to hub region in the measurement, the blockage induced by the probe was increased. As a result, operating point of the stator was locally changed, and the rise of static pressure of the stator increased when the stator incidence changed. These typical results show that unsteady simulations including probe geometry can accurately evaluate the aerodynamic effects of probes in the high-speed axial compressor. Therefore, since the probe will pinpointed and strong affects the practically local flow field in all rotor upstream passage and stator downstream, as for the probe measurement, it is important to pay attention to design the probe diameter, the distance from the blade row, and its relative position to the downstream stator. From the above investigations, a newly simple approximation method which includes the effect of the pressure change evaluation by the probe is proposed, and it is verified in the 4-stage compressor case as an example. In this method, the effects of the distance between the rotor trailing edge (T.E.) and the probe are considered by the theory of the incompressible two-dimensional potential flow. The probe blockage decreases the mass flow rate and changes the operating point of the compressor. The verification results conducted in real compressor indicate that the correct blockage approximation enables designer to estimate aerodynamic effects of the probe correctly.


Author(s):  
Adam R. Hickman ◽  
Scott C. Morris

Flow field measurements of a high-speed axial compressor are presented during pre-stall and post-stall conditions. The paper provides an analysis of measurements from a circumferential array of unsteady shroud static pressure sensors during stall cell development. At low-speed, the stall cell approached a stable size in approximately two rotor revolutions. At higher speeds, the stall cell developed within a short amount of time after stall inception, but then fluctuated in circumferential extent as the compressor transiently approached a stable post-stall operating point. The size of the stall cell was found to be related to the annulus average flow coefficient. A discussion of Phase-Locked Average (PLA) statistics on flow field measurements during stable operation is also included. In conditions where rotating stall is present, flow field measurements can be Double Phase-Locked Averaged (DPLA) using a once-per-revolution (1/Rev) pulse and the period of the stall cell. The DPLA method provides greater detail and understanding into the structure of the stall cell. DPLA data indicated that a stalled compressor annulus can be considered to contained three main regions: over-pressurized passages, stalled passages, and recovering passages. Within the over-pressured region, rotor passages exhibited increased blade loading and pressure ratio compared to pre-stall values.


2009 ◽  
Vol 132 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
O. Schennach ◽  
J. Woisetschläger ◽  
B. Paradiso ◽  
G. Persico ◽  
P. Gaetani

This paper presents an experimental investigation of the flow field in a high-pressure transonic turbine with a downstream vane row (1.5 stage machine) concerning the airfoil indexing. The objective is a detailed analysis of the three-dimensional aerodynamics of the second vane for different clocking positions. To give an overview of the time-averaged flow field, five-hole probe measurements were performed upstream and downstream of the second stator. Furthermore in these planes additional unsteady measurements were carried out with laser Doppler velocimetry in order to record rotor phase-resolved velocity, flow angle, and turbulence distributions at two different clocking positions. In the planes upstream of the second vane, the time-resolved pressure field has been measured by means of a fast response aerodynamic pressure probe. This paper shows that the secondary flows of the second vane are significantly modified by the different clocking positions, in connection with the first vane modulation of the rotor secondary flows. An analysis of the performance of the second vane is also carried out, and a 0.6% variation in the second vane loss coefficient has been recorded among the different clocking positions.


1966 ◽  
Vol 88 (1) ◽  
pp. 132-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. K. Ai

A nonlinear theory for the calculation of the flow field of an oblique flat plate under blockage condition is given using the techniques of integral equations. Numerical results are obtained with the aid of a high-speed digital computer for the plate situated midchannel at values of the angle of attack from 10 to 90 deg and the channel width-chord ratio from 3 to 20. Although the theory is developed for arbitrary plate location, the midchannel case is of great interest due to the fact that most of the tests are performed at this position.


Author(s):  
N. Van de Wyer ◽  
B. Farkas ◽  
J. Desset ◽  
J. F. Brouckaert ◽  
J.-F. Thomas ◽  
...  

This paper deals with the experimental investigation of the influence of a circumferential groove casing treatment on the performance and stability margin of a single stage low pressure axial compressor. The design of the compressor stage is representative of a booster stage for the new counter-rotating turbofan engine architecture and is characterized by unusually high loading and flow coefficients. The choice of the circumferential groove is described on the basis of a numerical parametric study on the number of grooves, the axial position, the depth and width of the groove. The experiments were performed at a Reynolds number corresponding to cruise conditions in the von Karman Institute closed loop high speed compressor test rig R4. The detailed performance characterization of the compressor stage with casing treatment was mapped at four operating points from choke to stall at design speed. The compressor stall limit was determined at several other off-design speeds. Detailed steady and unsteady measurements were performed to determine the flow field characteristics of the rotor and of the complete stage. Conventional pressure, temperature and directional probes were used along with fast response pressure sensors in the rotor casing and in the groove. Simultaneous traverses with a fast response total pressure probe were used to map the unsteady flow field at the rotor exit allowing an experimental capture of the tip leakage vortex path and extension through the rotor passage. A comparison of the flow features with and without casing treatment was performed and the results are discussed against 3D viscous computational predictions. The casing treatment did not present any improvement of the compressor stall margin but no significant performance degradation was observed either. The CFD predictions showed a good agreement with the measurements and their analysis supported the experimental results.


Author(s):  
Jan Siemann ◽  
Ingolf Krenz ◽  
Joerg R. Seume

Reducing the fuel consumption is a main objective in the development of modern aircraft engines. Focusing on aircraft for mid-range flight distances, a significant potential to increase the engines overall efficiency at off-design conditions exists in reducing secondary flow losses of the compressor. For this purpose, Active Flow Control (AFC) by aspiration or injection of fluid at near wall regions is a promising approach. To experimentally investigate the aerodynamic benefits of AFC by aspiration, a 4½-stage high-speed axial-compressor at the Leibniz Universitaet Hannover was equipped with one AFC stator row. The numerical design of the AFC-stator showed significant hub corner separations in the first and second stator for the reference configuration at the 80% part-load speed-line near stall. Through the application of aspiration at the first stator, the numerical simulations predict the complete suppression of the corner separation not only in the first, but also in the second stator. This leads to a relative increase in overall isentropic efficiency of 1.47% and in overall total pressure ratio of 4.16% compared to the reference configuration. To put aspiration into practice, the high-speed axial-compressor was then equipped with a secondary air system and the AFC stator row in the first stage. All experiments with AFC were performed for a relative aspiration mass flow of less than 0.5% of the main flow. Besides the part-load speed-lines of 55% and 80%, the flow field downstream of each blade row was measured at the AFC design point. Experimental results are in good agreement with the numerical predictions. The use of AFC leads to an increase in operating range at the 55% part-load speed-line of at least 19%, whereas at the 80% part-load speed-line no extension of operating range occurs. Both speed-lines, however, do show a gain in total pressure ratio and isentropic efficiency for the AFC configuration compared to the reference configuration. Compared to the AFC design point, the isentropic efficiency ηis rises by 1.45%, whereas the total pressure ratio Πtot increases by 1.47%. The analysis of local flow field data shows that the hub corner separation in the first stator is reduced by aspiration, whereas in the second stator the hub corner separation slightly increases. The application of AFC in the first stage further changes the stage loading in all downstream stages. While the first and third stage become unloaded by application of AFC, the loading in terms of the De-Haller number increases in the second and especially in the fourth stage. Furthermore, in the reference as well as in the AFC configuration, the fourth stator performs significantly better than predicted by numerical results.


Author(s):  
O. Schennach ◽  
B. Paradiso ◽  
G. Persico ◽  
P. Gaetani ◽  
J. Woisetschla¨ger

The paper presents an experimental investigation of the flow field in a high-pressure transonic turbine with a downstream vane row (1.5 stage machine) concerning the airfoil indexing. The objective is a detailed analysis of the three dimensional flow field downstream of the high pressure turbine for different vane clocking positions. To give an overview of the time averaged flow field, measurements by means of a pneumatic five hole probe were performed upstream and downstream of the second stator. Furthermore in this planes additional unsteady measurements were carried out with Laser Doppler Velocimetry in order to record rotor phase resolved velocity, flow angle and turbulence distributions at two different clocking positions. In the measurement plane upstream the second vane the time resolved pressure field has been analyzed by means of a Fast Response Aerodynamic Pressure Probe. The paper shows that the secondary flows of the second vane are significantly modified for different clocking positions, in connection with the first vane modulation of the rotor secondary flows. An analysis of the performance of the second vane is also carried out.


Author(s):  
Johannes Schreiber ◽  
Xavier Ottavy ◽  
Ghislaine Ngo Boum ◽  
Stéphane Aubert ◽  
Frédéric Sicot

The following numerical investigations are performed in the frame of a research project that aims at a better understanding of the flow unsteadiness that develops in a multistage high-speed axial compressor. First, the paper presents a new version of the 3.5 stages high-speed axial compressor CREATE (Compresseur de Recherche pour l’Etude des effets Aérodynamiques et TEchnologiques), which has been designed by Snecma and is based at the LMFA (Laboratory for Fluid Mechanics and Acoustics) on a 2MW test rig. This paper is based on numerical results obtained with 3D steady and unsteady RANS computations using the CREATE configuration. The unsteady RANS simulations are carried out over the whole spatial and temporal periodicity of the compressor. The main numerical setup has been fixed according to the state of the art. Second, the effect of three different time discretizations on the flow field in CREATE is discussed. The global performance of the compressor is not significantly affected. However the change in the time discretization impacts the structure of the flow at specific locations. The main focus of this study lies on the transport of flow structures and the analysis of their interactions. A double modal decomposition method, which highlights the specific contribution of the interactions on the overall flow field, is applied for the study of the highly complex and unsteady flow field. It allows identifying which interactions are more sensitive to the change in the time discretization.


1994 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Dunham

It is well recognised that the endwall regions of a compressor — in which the annulus wall flow interacts with the mainstream flow — have a major influence on its efficiency and surge margin. Despite many attempts over the years to predict the very complex flow patterns in the endwall regions, current compressor design methods still rely largely on empirical estimates of the aerodynamic losses and flow angle deviations in these regions. This paper describes a new phenomenological model of the key endwall flow phenomena treated in a circumferentially-averaged way. It starts from Hirsch and de Ruyck’s annulus wall boundary layer approach, but makes some important changes. The secondary vorticities arising from passage secondary flows and from tip clearance flows are calculated. Then the radial interchanges of momentum, energy and entropy arising from both diffusion and convection are estimated The model is incorporated into a streamline curvature program. The empirical blade force defect terms in the boundary layers are selected from cascade data. The effectiveness of the method is illustrated by comparing the predictions with experimental results on both low speed and high speed multistage compressors. It is found that the radial variation of flow parameters is quite well predicted, and so is the overall performance, except when significant endwall stall occurs.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Yufeng Yao ◽  
Mohamad Maidi ◽  
Jun Yao

Numerical studies have been performed to visualize vortical flow structures emerged from jet cross-flow interactions. A single square jet issuing perpendicularly into a cross-flow was simulated first, followed by two additional scenarios, that is, inclined square jet at angles of 30° and 60° and round and elliptic jets at an angle of 90°, respectively. The simulation considers a jet to cross-flow velocity ratio of 2.5 and a Reynolds number of 225, based on the free-stream flow quantities and the jet exit width in case of square jet or minor axis length in case of elliptic jet. For the single square jet, the vortical flow structures simulated are in good qualitative agreement with the findings by other researchers. Further analysis reveals that the jet penetrates deeper into the cross-flow field for the normal jet, and the decrease of the jet inclination angle weakens the cross-flow entrainment in the near-wake region. For both noncircular and circular jet hole shapes, the flow field in the vicinity of the jet exit has been dominated by large-scale dynamic flow structures and it was found that the elliptic jet hole geometry has maximum “lifted-off” effect among three hole configurations studied. This finding is also in good qualitative agreement with existing experimental observations.


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